System recovery utilities that can return a failed computer system to a healthy state currently exist. These recovery utilities store a restore point describing a healthy state in non-revertible storage, such that the computer can be returned to the restore point, even after a system crash. One example of a recovery utility is Symantec's Norton GoBack®. Another is Microsoft's SystemRestore®.
Modifications are often deployed on computer systems. For example, software patches containing bug fixes or improvements are frequently made available for existing computer software. Additionally, new software packages and new versions of existing packages are commonly released for installation on computer systems.
Because of the nature of software, it is often necessary to rollout modifications without having tested them in every possible target environment. Because users' computer configurations vary greatly, software patches and other modifications that have been thoroughly tested under controlled circumstances prior to deployment will still sometimes fail in the field, causing critical system failure or improper system function.
Failure of a deployed modification will often crash required applications or the computer itself, causing an unexpected reboot. However, the deployment of the modification itself will often require one or more legitimate reboots as part of the installation process.
When a deployed modification causes a system failure, it is desirable to restore the computer to the state it was in prior to the modification. However, because modifications often change a plurality of system settings, restoring the computer to its original state can be a complicated procedure.
What is needed are methods, computer readable media and systems that can accurately detect system failures caused by deployed modifications, and subsequently rollback the system to its pre-modification state.